You're Not Alone: Peter Laviolette Can't Believe They Got Swept by the Rangers Either

You're Not Alone: Peter Laviolette Can't Believe They Got Swept by the Rangers Either

Rivalries ebb and flow, peak and valley over time. Sometimes one team falls off for a long enough period that the general dislike is still there, but there's just something less vitriolic about each meeting.

In the the late 90s and early 2000s, it was the Devils as the Flyers' chief antagonist. Since the '04-'05 lockout, it's been the Penguins. And, really, after Eric Lindros flattened Mark Messier and company in '97 Eastern Finals, the Flyers' rivalry with the Rangers had trended more towards one of those valleys. Don't get me wrong, no one started liking the Rangers all of a sudden, but the passion for the rivalry had waned for some, if not many.

That said, it doesn't take much for one of these long-standing feuds to get reignited. In fact, getting waxed 0-6 in a regular season and losing a Winter Classic at home just might do the trick. It seems to have for coach Peter Laviolette.

Lavy, like you, can't believe the Flyers were unable to take even one game off the Rangers this season. In part one of his offseason mailbag, he answers a fan question "the biggest surprise on the season" for him:

PL: “I hope this doesn't come off sounding bad, but honestly, the biggest surprise of the season was not beating the Rangers in a single game. I think of our team as a strong competitive team and I view the Rangers as the same. If someone would have asked before the year if it would surprise me if we didn't take one game from the Rangers I would have scoffed at them and told them they were crazy. So the fact that the season took place and we were unable win one game in the series...well...I'm surprised.”

It's worth noting that outside of two to three occasions in which the Flyers clearly couldn't hang, including those back-to-back weekend afternooners on Feb. 5 and Feb. 11, they skated with the Rangers and could have, perhaps should have, split that season series if a few extra bounces gone their way. Without dispute, they could have at least taken a game (see: Winter Classic).

The histrionics of this year's first round series against the Penguins aside, if you can manage to put them aside, doesn't it feel good to really passionately dislike the Rangers? If only it didn't have to take a season sweep to get the fire burning once again.

Matt Rhule's first Baylor hires include 4 Temple assistants

Matt Rhule's first Baylor hires include 4 Temple assistants

WACO, Texas -- New Baylor coach Matt Rhule has made some immediate Texas connections by hiring the president of the state's high school coaches who is a former Bears receiver.

Rhule announced his first five hires with the Bears on Friday, three days after being named Baylor's coach. They include four members from his staff at Temple and David Wetzel, the head coach and athletic director the past 13 seasons at Ronald Reagan High School in San Antonio.

Sean Padden will serve as Baylor's director of football operations, similar to his role at Temple the past four years.

Rhule didn't immediately announce the titles and job duties for Wetzel, Francis Brown, Mike Siravo and Evan Cooper. There was also no indication of when the rest of his staff would be completed.

Brown and Siravo were defensive assistants at Temple, and Cooper was director of player personnel for the Owls.

Wetzel, who has coached in the state high school ranks for 25 years, was serving as president of the Texas High School Football Coaches Association. He lettered at Baylor in 1990 and 1991 while playing for Grant Teaff, and also earned a master's degree from the school in 1994. Before Reagan, he was head coach at schools in Killeen and Austin.

Wetzel told the Waco Tribune-Herald that he expects to play a major role in recruiting, but didn't know yet if he'd be coaching offense or defense.

"Given the opportunity, it's really a unique deal," Wetzel told the newspaper. "I feel like it's God's timing for me to be in the right place at the right time."

When Rhule was introduced Wednesday in Waco, he said he had already received about 480 text messages, many from coaches. He also didn't rule out the possibility of some of the current Baylor assistants staying, but said he hadn't had a chance to meet with them. Those assistants were retained from former coach Art Briles' staff with Jim Grobe as acting head coach this season.

NoteBaylor announced Friday that Jalen Pitre, a defensive back from Stafford, Texas, signed a financial aid agreement that will allow him to enroll for the spring 2017 semester after graduating from high school early. Before Rhule was hired, Pitre was the only player verbally committed for Baylor's recruiting class in February. He had 83 tackles, six interceptions and four forced fumbles as a senior.

Dorial Green-Beckham didn't support any charity with his cleats last Sunday.

In reality, he was funding the NFL.

The Eagles' receiver was fined $6,076 by the NFL for wearing Yeezy cleats (Kanye West's shoes), which had no affiliation to a charitable organization or cause, CSNPhilly.com has confirmed. Players around the NFL last weekend wore decorative spikes supporting a charity or cause they felt passionately about as part of the league's My Cleats, My Cause promotion. Green-Beckham was fined because his cleats were unapproved by the league; earlier this season Houston receiver DeAndre Hopkins was fined for wearing Yeezy cleats.